China’s Xi arrives in Manila with focus on infrastructure pledges

Xi Jinping arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday for the first state visit by a Chinese president in thirteen years, with the administration of Rodrigo Duterte under pressure to show there is value in its “pivot” to China.

The state visit comes two years after Duterte declared he would pursue a more independent foreign policy, shifting the Philippines away from the United States and towards China in the hope of receiving billions of dollars for infrastructure development.

China has pledged about twenty-four billion dollars in loans and investments, although just three of dozens of planned projects have broken ground. Xi and Duterte are expected to release a joint statement at the end of the two-day visit.